With more than 25 years of experience specializing in high dollar sales in the computer industry, Bill Kunz knows a thing or two about the sales process. He will share his insight with young entrepreneurs during ATDC’s next Lunch-N-Learn on Feb. 21.
Topics will include how to identify early adopters and successfully get alpha and beta customers, as well as what methods to use to generate leads and close sales with these customers. The primary subject matter, however, will involve closing the first five sales – which is usually the point when a startup has typically proven successful enough to hire a sales team.
“The first sale is basically finding someone to pay for the product’s beta testing,” said Kunz. “By the third one, you’re starting to get an idea of where the market might be for your product. By the time you get to the fifth sale, you might be in a position to hire a salesperson, rather than handling it yourself. And then the question becomes, what type of salesperson should you hire?”
Now retired and serving as a long-time mentor at ATDC, Kunz had a long and successful sales management career at IBM, Stratus (a small startup), and Cisco Systems selling directly to end users at “Fortune 1000” firms. His experience includes guidance on big ticket, long-cycle sales, hiring and managing sales people and new account sales.
During the upcoming luncheon, he will help participants determine what they can realistically achieve in early sales, as well as discuss how to close the sale once a prospect has been identified. And for those entrepreneurs who have found a potential customer but have been unable to close the deal, Kunz can help.
“If you’re stuck, come see me for one-on-one counseling,” he said. “We can draw up the specific sale and figure out next steps.”
Registration is now open for the event, which runs from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm in the ATDC Community Room. Bring your questions and be ready for a dynamic discussion!